Chapter Nineteen
Being super slow, I had plenty of time to look around as we stepped inside. To my right, was a bathroom. It looked to be just a tiny one, with a toilet and sink, stall shower and not much more. It seemed to be the only proper room in the cabin. The rest of it was open concept.
Along the far wall, was what appeared to be a little kitchenette. Tiny but functional. It was the rest of the cabin that had me at hello.
At the farthest, opposite end from me was an amazing, huge, stone fireplace that currently had a roaring fire going on. In front of it, were two oversized chairs, made for relaxing and curling up with a book for an entire day.
Just past the kitchenette, was the most amazing bed covered in the most amazing linens I had seen in quite some time, and that’s saying something, as my current obsession was bed linens. The bed was king sized which would normally be overkill for a log cabin, but it totally worked here. It was topped by an amazing, fluffy white duvet and finished with a patchwork quilt in masculine blues and greens at the end of the bed. Huge white pillows adorned the classic antique wooden headboard and this was all sitting on top of the greatest navy blue rag rug I had ever encountered. The bed faced the front of the house which was a row of three large windows, offering the occupants an unhindered view of the vast landscape beyond.
“Oh,“ was about all I could get out.
“Here, let’s get you in and off your feet, babe. Where would you prefer? Tucked into bed or lounge by the fire?”
“By the fire please,” I said. “I’m not ready for bed just yet.”
“Well, you look wiped, uh, no offense.”
“I know. I just want to take this all in.”
“You don’t need to rush it. I stocked up out here. We’re all set for a few days. No one to bother us. Time to really get to know each other.”
I looked up at him, slightly alarmed at a two day withdraw from the world. “Aren’t you working this weekend?”
“Nope, totally clear. Freaking out yet?”
“A little, but I’m ok. Be patient with me, Finn. Relying on someone is a totally foreign concept to me.”
“You’re fine George. I didn’t bring you out here to seduce you and all that. Although that does sound amazing.” He grinned that mischievous grin of his. “I brought you here for some peace and quiet for us both. I don’t get out here much and you gave me the perfect reason I was looking for.”
He easily scooped me up and carried me over to the lounge chair and settled me in ever so gently, as his phone began to ring. He glanced at it and a scowl crossed his face.
“Go ahead and get that.”
“Nah. I’m all yours tonight. I’ve been waiting for this for a really, really long time and I am not letting anyone intrude on this weekend.”
He arranged me and covered me and turned to stoke the fire. His phone started ringing again. I couldn’t quite make out who it was that kept calling him, but whoever it was, they were bugging him. His face looked slightly enraged as he ignored the caller.
“You know, it’s ok, Finn. You can talk to people with me here.” Then I realized that maybe he just wanted some privacy but couldn’t get it out here with me. “Um, if you want, you should go outside and talk to whoever that is. Seems like they really want to get a hold of you.”
“George, I said it’s fine, ok?”
A little shocked at the anger I could hear in his voice, I let it go, but something about these phone calls was putting him off. I couldn’t quite figure out why, but let it go and snuggled deeper into the blankets he had lain across me.
Soon, the fire was roaring and I started to feel kind of sleepy. “Finn, can you help me get to the bathroom? I might as well get in my p.j.’s and wash up before I pass out without getting ready for bed.”
He once again scooped me up and carried me over to the bathroom.
“Are you going to be ok,” he asked? “Do you need my help in there?”
“Oh my God, no! Have you been talking to Sam?” I shut the door in his face and locked it for good measure.
Of course, it took me forever in there and when I came out, Finn had obviously gotten another phone call, as he was outside the front porch, gesturing wildly as he talked to someone on the phone. He looked pretty agitated so I decided not to bug him, and risking his anger, I began the long, arduous trek to the bed.
I hobbled away from the bathroom and as I passed the door to outside, I could just make out what he was saying to the person on the other line.
I could only hear fragments, but would swear I could hear, “she’s staying, the weekend, couldn’t give a flying fuck, once again flying fuck, got better things to do than listen to this, and the big finish, she’s more than you’ll ever fuckin be so stop fucking calling here.”
And then one last ominous, “do your worst, Serena. Go right ahead.”
I quickly turned and shuffled as fast as this hurting body would take me in the opposite direction. I made it pretty far if I do say so myself. However, in my haste to look like I hadn’t been listening in, I busted a gut getting around the lounger and doubled over the side of the chair. Pretty much immobile from the pain, he caught me with tears in my eyes.
“George. Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“Finn, I need to keep doing these things for myself or I won’t ever get back to normal. It was just from the bathroom to here, but I tripped and landed on my stitches. Can you just help me get in bed?”
Belatedly, I realized I was dressed for bed in my jammies. That wasn’t normally a problem, being that nothing skimpier than my see through ratty high school t-shirts ever graced my body, but tonight, the person who had packed my clothes, had only packed my fancy schmancy evening attire. The shorts and top set weren’t all that sexy, but did not leave anything to the imagination. And now bent over, I am sure it wasn’t covering much on any end of my body.
I could tell by his eyes, he hadn’t missed much of the free show he was getting. They warmed to a dull roar and his stare was making me blush furiously. His hair was standing up in weird places. He had a habit of raking his hands through his hair when he was agitated and I think that phone call had somehow worked him all up. I didn’t have the courage to ask him about it, so I just took the opportunity to check him out while he was openly staring at my chest.
His jeans were slung low on his hips, revealing just a hint of the hard planes that were underneath. His plain white t-shirt stretched across his chest and biceps making me drool just a tiny bit. He looked tired, but content and his smirk was sexy as hell.
Neither one of us spoke, we just stared awkwardly into each other’s eyes like a terrible soap opera couple. His smirk turned into the smile I had now labeled, ‘The Predator” and he finally reached down to scoop me up and carried me over the three steps it took to get to that amazing bed.
“Sleep, George. I’m just going to tidy up and get a few things organized.”
His phone went off again and he didn’t glance at it but shut it off abruptly.
“You can answer it you know?”
“Nope. Told you already, George. I want to spend the next few days learning you inside and out. I want to know everything about you and this damn phone is not going to get in my way.”
“But, what about-“
He held a finger up to my lips. It took every last once of self-control to not take that finger and bite down on it just a touch. Oh God, I was so depraved. I stopped talking and snuggled deeper into the covers.
“Sleep baby. Please sleep for me.” He began to stroke my hair and I was slowly drifting off into the most blissful sleep.
I wasn’t sure, but I could have sworn his beautiful, rugged face had a pained look sweep across it, but it was gone as quickly as it came. On impulse, I reached up and lightly trailed my fingers down the side of his face. His face was a myriad of contrasts. Smooth, baby soft skin, a few crinkles around his eyes, and then scratchy, where his stubble was beginning to come out. Mmmm, suddenly I felt kind of hot all over thinking about what that scratchy part would feel like on my skin.
Finn’s eyes had closed and he was leaning into my hand as it cupped his cheek. I sighed a deep, contented sigh and he opened his eyes once again.
“I don’t deserve this,” he said.
“Don’t deserve what?”
“This. You. Peace.”
“Why?”
“Another day. Rest, please baby. I’m going to write for a while by the fire, Ok?”
I could tell that he was done letting me in for the day. I nodded my head slowly and let the pain killers take me under.
Sometime later, I had no idea what time it was as there was no clock that I could see anywhere and my phone was in my bag across the room, I woke up. The fire was on a low burn and the room was covered in darkness. I scooted up slightly and saw Finn asleep in the lounge chair, huddled in on himself trying to keep warm and fast asleep.
I slowly eased my legs over the side of the bed and stood up ever so slowly. I crept over to where he was sitting, grabbed the quilt on the end of the bed and came around to the side of the chair to crawl in behind him and lie lengthwise beside his glorious body. He must have gotten ready for bed as he was wearing only his boxers and a t-shirt. He stirred in his sleep and I gently covered us both with the blanket. I leaned into his cool body and wrapped my arms around him thinking he was oblivious, but suddenly, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight while shifting his body to turn into mine.
He opened his eyes and smiled a slow, lazy smile that made me practically wet myself then and there without a second thought. God, I was so done for.
“George, babe, what in the hell are you doing over here? You are not allowed to walk around, in the dark, without someone to help you.”
“You looked so cold and lonely over here,” I said.
He sighed deeply and brought a hand to my face. “Darling, I am cold and lonely over here, but that’s why I’m over here and not in bed beside you. There is no way in hell, I could pull off sleeping beside you without attacking you in my sleep and not knowing how much damage I was doing.”
He began to stoke my hair. “I find you irresistible, and I am pretty sure, my subconscious finds you irresistible too, therefore, I am over here, suffering in silence and you are far, far away from me and my soulless body.”
I smiled. “Drama queen.”
He shifted around and grabbed behind my knee. Digging his fingers in, he began to try to tickle me. “Drama queen? Drama Queen?” The tickling started to get worse. I was losing my battle to not laugh. Laughing hurt. I had started this, I needed to stay focused.
I began to taunt him. “Oh, drama queen gonna tickle the poor invalid? Gonna take advantage of the poor little sick girl?
“Yes,” was his instant reply right before he dug in at the quintessential tickle spot, the arm pit.
Done in, I couldn’t contain myself any more, and frankly, even though it hurt like hell, it felt so good to laugh I didn’t care. We fell into a full-fledged tickle fight and neither one of us could seem to stop.
He maneuvered me under him while gently tickling me all over until he had me completely pinned beneath him. He grabbed my hands and held them with one of his own while he continued to mercilessly tickle me down the good side of my body. Suddenly, his tickling slowed and his fingers were replaced by his mouth. Feather light kisses up and down my arms, teasing across my face and gently sweeping over my lips to torture the other side of my body. He had me pinned between his legs so I was unable to move, but I decided I wouldn’t move for all the tea in China.
“George, I don’t know how much longer I can keep my hands off you.”
“So don’t try.” Oh, it was getting really hard to sit still. My stitches were only a dull ache in my side. The ache inside me was winning out right about now.
“I’ve got to try, darling. I did this to you. I’ve got to make it right. Attacking you every five minutes isn’t making it right, it’s making it worse.”
“Again with the drama queen.”
Muffled laughing came from somewhere beyond my rib cage. Finn pulled himself up and sighed deeply. “I need a cold shower.”
“With me?”
“Vixen. Alone, far away from you and your feminine wiles.”
“Can it wait until the morning? I am tired and came all the way over here to snuggle and all you keep doing is trying to get away from me. I am beginning to get a complex.”
He grabbed both sides of my face. “Darling, I need to go take a quick shower. I need you to give me a few minutes so that when I return, I am in a relaxed state and not liable to jump on you and forget my pledge to Sam.”
“Sam? What did she make you do?”
“Promise not to touch you.”
“Well, Sam isn’t the boss of you or me.”
“Now who’s being juvenile?”
“Well, come on. She is always telling me what to do and how to act and who to like and who not to like. She’s not here. I am more than old enough to make my own decisions and I say touch me.”
I reached over, grabbed his face and planted one on him.
“George, no, I can’t.”
“Can’t? Oh. I get it. How could I have been so stupid? Of course Finn Lowry wasn’t that into me. I understand Finn. It’s ok. You don’t have to pretend anymore. I know being with me is not really what you are used to.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, you know, you’re used to a different caliber of girl. You’re you, hot, gorgeous, smart and sexy. Then there’s me, not so hot, old, broken and comes with a ton of issues and did I mention I’m nearly forty?”
“What are you talking about George? What just happened here?”
“It’s kind of been in the back of my head all this time we’ve been hanging out.”
“Hanging out? Is that what we’re doing?”
“Finn, come on. You don’t really expect me to believe that you’re that into me? You have some sort of misguided sense of responsibility, and it’s ok.” I reached up to lightly touch his cheek. “I’m fine. I can take care of myself. I don’t blame you for what happened.” I reached down and grabbed hold of his hands. Blinking to hold back the tears, I carried on. “I’ve heard you talking to your agent and directors. I know they’re pissed you’re out here with me. You should be out enjoying yourself, or working or something. Finn, you’re you and I’m me. This wasn’t ever going to be anything to you other than hanging out. It’s ok. I release you.”
“You release me. Are you done now? That’s it? Are you done making sure no one ever gets in?”
I tried to let my hands go, but he had turned the tables and was now holding onto my hands. I was afraid to look into his eyes. I could tell by his voice he was past annoyed and well on his way to pissed off. However, I never did listen to my brain that much and decided to look up into his eyes. They were a swirling mass of anger and emotion and it suddenly occurred to me that maybe he really did want to be hanging out here with me. Maybe it was just a classic case of Georgeitis. I gave my head a shake. Looking at him I knew it wouldn’t last.
“Stop, please,” I asked him. “I won’t say anything to Sam. We can finish out the night here and then you can take me-“
“Stop, just stop George. God woman, let me get a word in edgewise!” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Please, George, just stop thinking and let it go blank in there for five minutes while I talk. Say a word and I swear I will throw you over my knee and smack your ass into next week.
Well, that shut me up. He reached over and closed my jaw that was hanging wide open.
“I’m gonna file that away with things to remember to say when I need to get two words in edgewise. So, now, first, you’re here because I want you to be. Did you know I have never, ever brought a woman here? This is my sanctuary. This is where I go when I need to get away from the brand people think I am. So, don’t. Just don’t. What this cabin is to me, I wanted to share it with you.”
“We’ll come back to this part in a minute. Second, I fell for you, baby. From that amazing, classic head smack down to the most amazing make out sessions, right into the most horrible and scary crazy fan situation, to this adorable, gorgeous woman, sitting in my cabin, who needs me to take care of her. You’re so sure that everyone is going to leave you, that you just decide when for them. I’m not going to lie. You know who I am and what I do for a living. You know I am surrounded by crazed woman who often can be found chasing me down the street or worse. And yes, I do work with actresses who are attractive, but often can’t get over themselves and who feel that the world should bow down to them, including me. But it’s you. It’s you that I can’t fucking stop thinking about. It’s you that has presented me with a huge problem.”
“Problem?”
“Well, I want to do so many damn things to that amazing body of yours with my mouth, but here you are. Injured because of me. I want to take you to bed and make you mine. I want to erase all those doubts and lame excuses right out of your mind and replace them with mind numbing, amazing sex. I want to give you the world, and that world, my girl, includes me in it. God, George. I haven’t been this much on the hook with a woman since I was a teenager and met my high school girlfriend who I swore was the woman of my dreams. I am yours. And whether or not you like it, you are mine. I may not have sealed the deal yet, but it’s gonna happen. And you’re gonna love it baby. And you’re not going anywhere in the near future without me, so just shut the fuck up.”
He had the hugest grin on his face. As for me, I was stunned into silence. He took that opportunity to engage me in the most amazing kiss I think I had ever experienced. He kept his eyes wide open and slowly, predatorily stalked my lips. His approach made them ache for him to make contact but he slowed right down before making contact. Finally, he feathered his lips across mine, back and forth and back and forth. He reached up with his hands and grabbed each side of my face and began to gently use his touch to send chills up and down my body.
He grabbed my lower lip with his teeth and gently tugged it into his mouth and proceeded to suck and pull, effectively opening my mouth for me.
By this point, my body was on fire and my nipples were up and demanding some attention. They were going to have to wait their turn. Right now, Finn was giving my mouth his focus. His tongue was dueling with mine, drawing me out of my anger and turning my brain and body to mush. His right hand slowly began to slide down my neck and shoulders. It stopped just above my incision and suddenly it was like a switch had been flipped. He stopped and I wasn’t sure which one of us was panting more.
“Jesus, George. If you don’t believe me now I am out of options.” He shifted slightly and pressed his hips onto my leg and there was the final piece of proof I needed. He was into me.